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We address the problem of dimension reduction for time series of functional data (Xt:t∈Z). Such functional time series frequently arise, for example, when a continuous time process is segmented into some smaller natural units, such as days. Then each Xₜrepresents one intraday curve. We argue that functional principal component analysis, though a key technique in the field and a benchmark for any competitor, does not provide an adequate dimension reduction in a time series setting. Functional principal component analysis indeed is a static procedure which ignores the essential information that is provided by the serial dependence structure of the functional data under study. Therefore, inspired by Brillinger's theory of dynamic principal components, we propose a dynamic version of functional principal component analysis which is based on a frequency domain approach. By means of a simulation study and an empirical illustration, we show the considerable improvement that the dynamic approach entails when compared with the usual static procedure.

This paper has two main objectives. First, to address the problematic of the socioeconomic impact of land deals in sub-Saharan Africa by looking at what we know from the available literature so far, namely what has been claimed and how much research has been done, as well as why we do not know very much despite the quantity of material published. This is done via a systematic scoping review, which aims to avoid some of the biases inherent in conventional literature reviews and to provide evidence for some basic features of the emerging research on land grabs in Africa, with specific reference to their contribution to the understanding of livelihood impacts. Second, the article links empirical questions about the impact and implications of land grabs with a discussion of alternative (neglected) research questions, notably the implications of the current land rush phenomenon for the classic agrarian questions of capital and labour, as understood in agrarian political economy. Thus the paper proposes a re-engagement with debates on the classic agrarian questions in a Marxist political economy tradition in order to move the land grab research agenda towards more conceptually and empirically challenging research questions.

According to classic interpretations of the communist revolutions, political mobilization of peasantry was critical for the success of the revolutionary forces. This article, which reexamines the experience of civil wars in Russia, Finland, Spain, and China, argues that peasants' contribution to the revolutions in Russia and later in China became possible under two historical conditions: breakdown of state authorities during the mass mobilization wars and existence of an unresolved agrarian problem in the countryside. Neither of these conditions alone, as the experience of other countries has shown, was sufficient for a success of the revolutionaries. The Spanish civil war of 1936-1939, for instance, was not preceded by a major international war. Because institutions of the traditional social order had not been undermined by war, Franco was able to defeat the Popular Front government, despite the peasants' support of the revolution. In the Finnish civil war of 1918, which broke out in the wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution, state institutions did not collapse completely and the peasantry was divided in their responses to the revolution; the rural smallholders, for example, aligned with the Mannerheim's White army, not with the urban revolutionaries.

The article examines the organization of the Regional Entomological Congresses that took place in the 1880s in Odessa and Kharkov following outbreaks of the ‘kuzka’ grain beetle (Anisoplia austriaca). These Congresses represented the first steps towards the professionalization of agricultural entomology within Russia. The ‘beetle question’ emerged as a one of the most serious agronomical problems in the second half of the nineteenth century. All of the southern provinces suffered losses in agricultural trade due to pest insect outbreaks, but it was Odessa — the largest trade, cultural and scientific centre in southern Russia at this time — that emerged to play a central role in the professionalization of applied entomology. The article examines the initial efforts of regional authorities to address the growing problem of pest infestation through a hesitant but developing dialogue with scientists, landowners and various layers of centralized state administration. The resultant Entomological Congresses were an exceptional phenomenon, both for science as well as for the public life of the region, and represented one of the very few cases of inter-provincial zemstvo cooperation. While they were unable to provide a swift resolution to the pest issue, they were effective in raising awareness of the problem within the various layers of Russian society.

Agrarian Distress in India: Problems and Remedies, Edited by B.C. Barah and Smita Sirohi, Concept Publishing Company Pvt. Ltd., , 2011. Pp. xii+284. Rs.700.00.

This article is about the role of civil society after violent conflict. It argues that the transformations that civil society organisations (CSOs) make are more ambiguous than supporting donors and NGOs presume. The article analyses how, ten years after the 1996 peace agreements, Guatemalan CSOs deal with agrarian conflict. It discusses in detail the case of a church-related organisation assisting peasants with agrarian conflicts and the challenges it faced in defining its strategies. The article argues that supporting donors and NGOs should stop seeing the difficulties of organisational change in post-conflict situations exclusively in terms of the internal incapacities of civil society. Instead, they should re-politicise their analyses and focus on the importance of broader social and political processes in post-conflict settings for the strategic options open to CSOs. Este artículo trata del papel de la sociedad civil tras un violento conflicto armado. Se argumenta que la transformación lograda por organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSCs) son más ambiguas de lo que suponen tanto donantes como ONGs. Se analiza cómo, diez años después de los acuerdos de paz de 1996, las OSCs de Guatemala han manejado el conflicto agrario. El artículo discute detalladamente el caso de una organización relacionada a la iglesia que asiste a campesinos en conflictos agrarios y los retos que enfrenta en definir sus estrategias. Indica que los donantes y las ONGs deberían de dejar de ver las dificultades del cambio organizativo en situaciones de posconflicto exclusivamente en términos de las incapacidades internas de la sociedad civil. Más bien, deberían repolitizar sus análisis y enfocarse en la importancia de procesos sociales y políticos más amplios en situaciones de posconflicto para identificar las opciones estratégicas abiertas a las OSCs. Este artigo trata do papel da sociedade civil após conflitos violentos armados. Argumenta que as transformações realizadas por organizações da sociedade civil (CSOs, sigla em inglês) são mais ambíguas do que presumem os patrocinadores e as ONGs que as apóiam. Analisa-se como CSOs guatemaltecas lidam com conflitos agrários após dez anos dos acordos de paz de 1996. Discute-se em detalhes o caso de uma organização relacionada à Igreja que assiste camponeses em conflitos agrários e os desafios ao definir estratégias. Defende-se que patrocinadores e ONGs ao apoiar tais organizações deveriam deixar de perceber as dificuldades de mudança organizacional em situações pós-conflito exclusivamente como consequência das incapacidades internas de sociedades civis. Ao invés, recomenda-se que suas análises se politizem novamente e que a importância de processos sociais e políticos mais amplos em situações pós-conflito deveriam ser focalizadas como opções estratégicas que se apresentam as CSOs.

The Irish famine in the mid-1840s caused by the failure of the potato crop called John Stuart Mill's attention to the agricultural and economic problems of Ireland. In this paper, I examine Mill's engagement in the Irish land question in the light of contemporary discussion on the Irish national character and the Irish question. In the first section, I examine what early-nineteenth-century intellectuals thought of the Irish question and 'Irish national character.' In the second section, I present an account of Mill's views on the Irish condition and his proposed solution for the Irish land question, which he approached from both economic and ethological points of view. In other words, his analysis of the Irish land question was underpinned by an interest in the relationship between the formation of national character and the state of the society, and political institutions. He stressed how artificial social systems, including the land system, could contribute to the formation of national character. This section shows that both his diagnosis of the Irish distress and his proposed remedy for it were grounded in the theoretical views of man and society that had been gradually developed in the 1830s and early 1840s

ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: The article is a reflection of the dogmatic of civil law and civil procedure law, with special focus on analytics jurisprudence of TRF-1, using the speech analysis method. The CNJ recognizes that the agrarian conflict has peculiarities that require the sensibility of the magistrates to the specifics of this type of dispute. This is the basis of the need for analysis of the fulfillment of the social function as a prerequisite for the granting of guardianship possessory, despite the lack of an express provision in this regard. It was possible to prove that the courts have indeed done this type of examination, but only when its result is favorable to the owner. It is concluded that amplification of the role of social function in the analysis of the worthiness of possessory guardianship materializes the distinctive look that CNJ hopes that agrarian judge should have, making possible the fair resolution of land conflicts. // ABSTRACT IN PORTUGUESE: O artigo é uma reflexão da dogmática do direito civil e direito processual civil, com especial enfoque na análise de jurisprudência do TRF-1, utilizando o método de análise de discurso. O CNJ reconhece que o conflito agrário tem peculiaridades que exigem que o magistrado seja sensível às especificidades desse tipo de disputa. Essa é a base da necessidade de análise do cumprimento da função social como um pré-requisito para a concessão da tutela possessória, apesar da falta de uma disposição expressa nesse sentido. Foi possível comprovar que os tribunais têm feito esse tipo de exame, mas apenas quando o resultado é favorável para o proprietário. Conclui-se que a ampliação do papel da função social na análise do merecimento de tutela possessória materializa o olhar diferenciado que o CNJ espera que o juiz agrário tenha, possibilitando a justa resolução dos conflitos de terra.

El problema agrario es un tema económico y político. Los intentos de resolverlo únicamente por vías técnicas han sido un fracaso. Así lo demuestra la realidad. Se han hecho esfuerzos por vías políticas, y poco se ha avanzado. Así lo demuestra la historia. La falta de una solución democrática efectiva limita el desarrollo y perpetúa el conflicto por la tierra y la violencia. A cada esfuerzo de reforma agraria ha seguido una contrarreforma, y nuevos ciclos de violencia. Para evitar nuevas frustraciones, es necesario que el Estado reconozca la naturaleza y gravedad del problema y que Gobierno y Congreso asuman un compromiso político con la sociedad en el trámite de la nueva iniciativa de reforma.